BY BRYAN RAMOS | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — The third inning was a charm for the Sharyland High Rattlers against McAllen Memorial on Thursday night as first basemen Martin Vasquez sent a two-run bomb over the left field fence to spark a 9-1 victory in pool play at the Sharyland ISD Hardball Classic.
“I was just trying to help my team and the bombs just came, and that’s a good way to help your team,” Vasquez said after blasting two homers on day one of the tournament.
The game began as a defensive dual with both sides making plays to pull themselves out of jams. Sharyland pitcher Abiel Garza and McAllen Memorial’s Ethan Puente maneuvered their way through the first couple innings until Vasquez stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the third.
Vasquez’ homer, his fourth of the year, put the first runs on the board and led to an explosive fourth inning for the Rattlers. Andy Lozano and Randy Garcia proceeded to drive in two runs apiece to push the lead to 6-0.
“That’s a big inning because that kid had done a good job against us,” Sharyland coach Barton Bickerton said. “He was throwing three pitches for strikes and if you do that, you’re going to control some teams, and they controlled us for a couple of innings. We were hitting the ball hard at times and I knew that eventually it would start to add up, and it did.”
Garza struck out four batters on the night, but the most exciting play for the senior pitcher was seeing Vasquez go yard.
“I was just sitting down and I see Martin hit a bomb and I was just thinking I have to go celebrate with him because they do it for the pitcher,” he said. “It’s good to have somebody have your back like that.”
Even after surrendering a home run, the Mustangs weren’t backing down. Memorial’s Diego Villarreal stepped up to the plate in the top of the fifth and blasted one deep in centerfield over the outstretched glove of Saul Soto for an inside-the-park homer.
“Pitching-wise, that one changeup that kind of hung got hit pretty far; that was a little bit of a turning point, but even after that we fought back,” McAllen Memorial first-year coach Chase Deaton said. “They just played it all the way through and that’s what I wanted to see, the competitiveness. They’ve gotten after it, and early on, things have gone one way or another, but they’ve fought and stayed in games and it’s going to pay off in the long run.”
The tournament’s second day is slated to begin at 9:30 a.m. Friday as Valley View and Edinburg North square off at Sharyland Pioneer, while McAllen Memorial and Edinburg High take the field at Sharyland. The Rattlers have the chance to move to 3-0 in tourney play as they host Brownsville Veterans at 11:45 a.m.